【発明の詳細な説明】[Detailed description of the invention]
本発明は、過熱水蒸気を使用した食品の新規な
乾燥方法に関するもので、さらに詳しくは、あつ
さりとした好ましい油風味を有し、しかも膨化度
合が高く、加えて保存の際にも形状の変形や折損
が起こらない乾燥食品を得ることをその目的とす
る。
従前から膨化度合が高い乾燥食品が、効率よく
得られる乾燥方法として過熱水蒸気乾燥が知られ
ている。
しかしながら、同乾燥法により一層膨化度合が
高い乾燥食品を得ることを意図し、高温度、短時
間で食品を急激に乾燥した場合、食品の表面部と
内部に於いて乾燥ムラが生じ易く、とりわけ対象
食品が麺塊の如き、棒状片の集塊物形態の場合、
同乾燥ムラが基で保存時に食品中央部が歪んだり
又同中央部付近の棒状片が折れる結果となつた。
又、過熱水蒸気乾燥により得られた乾燥麺は、
その復元に当たり、鍋等で煮沸した際、熱風乾燥
麺や油揚乾燥麺に比して煮汁の泡立ちが激しく、
鍋からのふきこぼれが目立つた。
本発明者等は、過熱水蒸気乾燥食品に見られる
叙上の問題点を解消し、同乾燥法の有効性を最大
限に発揮させんものと、鋭意研究を重ねた結果、
過熱水蒸気処理により得られた乾燥食品に、油を
噴霧又は、滴下又は流下するか、若しくは同食品
を油中浸漬することによつて上記課題を全面的に
解消し得ることを知見した。
加えて、同方法によれば、従前の油揚法により
得られた油揚食品に比し、含油量が格段に少な
く、そのため油くどさが感じられない、あつさり
とした風味の従前にないタイプの油風味食品が得
られることも併せて知見した。
上記知見に基づいて完成されたのが、本発明方
法である。
以下、本発明方法を詳細に説明する。
本発明に適用し得る被乾燥食品としては、従前
から乾燥品を得ることを意図して乾燥処理に付さ
れている食品素材の全てが適用可能であり、なか
でも麺塊のように、棒状片が集塊状となつたも
の、あるいは同麺塊を含めて、喫食に当たり煮沸
調理を必要とするものに適用して本発明の効果は
一層顕著なものとなる。
本発明では先ずこのような食品素材を過熱水蒸
気により乾燥する。
同過熱水蒸気処理条件は、特に限定されるもの
ではなく、食品素材の種類、大きさ、形状あるい
は所望する乾燥品風味や組織に応じた条件下で行
えばよい。
例えば、膨化度合が高くサクサクとした軽い食
感のスナツク食品や復元性の良好な乾燥麺を所望
する場合は、一般的にいえば150〜230℃といつた
比較的高温の過熱水蒸気を使用して10〜30秒程度
の短時間で急激な乾燥処理を行い、一方硬めの食
感の乾燥品を所望する時は、逆に一般的にいえば
110〜140℃といつた比較的低温の過熱水蒸気を用
いて50〜180秒程度の緩慢な乾燥処理を実施する。
以上の如き、何れの条件下で過熱水蒸気乾燥を
行つた場合でも本発明効果は充分に奏され、とり
わけ乾燥品の乾燥ムラを伴ない易い急激乾燥の場
合、食品を均一に乾燥する上で一層有効である。
次に本発明ではこのようにして得られた乾燥食
品に対し、所定量の油を噴霧又は滴下又は流下す
るか、若しくは同食品を所定時間油中浸漬する。
過熱水蒸気により乾燥された同乾燥食品は、膨
化度合が極めて高く、均一な多孔質組織を呈して
いる。そのため少量の油噴霧、油滴下あるいは油
流下によつても、又極めて短時間の油中浸漬処理
によつても油が速やかにしかも満遍なく食品中に
吸着され食品に好ましい油風味をつけることが可
能となる。
その結果、同食品の含油量は、通常15〜35％
（対食品重量比）程度の吸油を余儀なくされてい
た従前の油揚法に比較して格段に少量化し得、そ
のため油くどさがなく、あつさりとした風味の従
前にないタイプの乾燥食品が得られる。
一方、オーブンあるいは高温熱風乾燥等過熱水
蒸気乾燥以外の乾燥法によつて得られた乾燥食品
は、膨化度合が低くしかもその表面部が硬化して
いるため、本発明の前記油処理を適用しても油が
食品中に満遍なく吸油されず、食品表面に溜ま
り、外観上ギラツキを生じると共に、食味に於い
ても不快なベタツキ感が後味として残り好ましく
ない。さらに本発明により得られた乾燥食品は、
含油量自体が少ないため保存時に於ける油劣化に
よる風味低下も問題とはならない。
本発明油処理時の具体的な油使用量について
は、特に限定は付さないが、油噴霧、滴下あるい
は流下処理による場合は乾燥食品に対し２〜10％
（重量比）程度の使用量で充分に上記風味付け効
果を奏し得、又油中浸漬処理による場合は乾燥食
品全体を油中に浸漬すればそれで充分である。
又、本発明では、所望する食品風味に応じて、
使用する油に予め風味付けを行つたり、所謂調味
油を使用することも可能であり、使用油の種類も
一切問われない。
さらに本発明では、使用する油の温度について
も何ら限定は付されず、効果上に差違は見られな
いが、噴霧あるいは滴下処理による場合は、使用
油の酸化を抑制する意味で50℃以下の油を使用す
るのが望ましい。
加えて同油処理は、乾燥麺等、喫食に際し、煮
沸復元操作を前提とする乾燥食品に適用した場
合、同煮沸時の煮汁のふきこぼれを抑制する効果
も奏する。
即ち、本発明者等の研究によれば過熱、水蒸気
乾燥は、他の乾燥法に比し、被乾燥食品が受ける
熱履歴が少なくてすみ、そのため蛋白等の麺成分
が熱変性を比較的起こさずして、煮沸時に煮汁中
に溶け出しこれが煮汁の泡立ちを促進して鍋等使
用容器からのふきこぼれの因となる。
然るに、本発明の油処理を付された麺は、麺表
面に油皮膜が形成されているため、蛋白等の泡立
ち促進の因となる溶質の溶け出しが抑制され、そ
の結果ふきこぼれが防止される、以上の事実が判
明した。
さらに本発明に於ける油処理は、麺塊のよう
に、棒状片が集塊状となつたものに適用して一層
有効である。
即ち、麺塊等の棒状片の集塊物を急激な過熱水
蒸気処理に付した場合、乾燥ムラが生じ易く、乾
燥直後は、その表面部は、略完全に乾燥されてお
り、そのため組織的に既に硬化しているが、一方
内部は、表面部に比し乾燥度合が低く、即ち水分
含量が高く末だ柔軟な状態にある。
これをそのまま放置すれば、内部から同部分の
収縮を伴なう緩慢な水分蒸散が進み、これに対し
表面部は、前述したように既に硬化しており柔軟
性がないためこれがズレとなつて麺塊中央部が歪
んだり、又内部からの引つ張り力により麺線が折
れる結果を招く。
然るに本発明に於ける油処理を高温油を使用し
て、しかも油が主に乾燥度合が低い部分、即ち、
食品中央部分に浸透するように油噴霧、油滴下あ
るいは油流下処理によつて実施すれば、同中央部
分からの水分蒸散が促進されその結果食品の各部
に於ける水分分布が速やかに均一化されて、保存
時に於ける麺塊中央部の歪みや麺線の折れを有効
に防止し得る。
さらに叙上の油処理を特定の湿度下、即ち麺塊
表面部からの水分蒸散が起こらずしかも麺塊内部
からの水分蒸散が生じるような湿度下で実施すれ
ば、麺塊中の水分分布の均一化が一層速やかに行
われ、歪みや折れの防止効果は、さらに顕著なも
のとなる。
又、同油処理により麺塊中の水分分布の均一化
を図つた後、さらに、今度は食品全体に対して油
中浸漬、油噴霧、油滴下、油流下処理を実施すれ
ば、前述した食品への風味付けも為し得る。
尚、本発明に於ける油処理を食品の仕上げ乾燥
を兼ねて比較的高温油を使用して行なうことも何
ら差支えない。
以上、本発明方法によれば、従前の油揚方法に
よつては得ることができなかつた、油くどさがな
くあつさりとした風味の乾燥食品が得られると共
に、本発明を麺塊の乾燥に適用した場合は、保存
時に於ける麺塊の変形や麺線の折れを解消し得、
さらに煮沸復元時の煮汁のふきこぼれも抑制し得
る。
実施例 １
小麦粉、〓粉等に加水して混〓し常法により圧
延した後、切り刃ロールにて切り出すと同時にカ
ツトして一食分の生麺線（水分含量36.7％）を
得、然る後これを適宜ほぐした後、角形型枠に疎
密のないように枠詰した。
次にこれを温度170℃、流速8.5m／秒の過熱水
蒸気によつて53秒間処理して水分含量10.3％の乾
燥麺（膨化度1.71〔註〕）を得た。
然る後、これに温度60℃の油を10秒間満遍なく
噴霧して、本発明に係る油風味麺を得た。
同油風味麺の油含量は、8.3％であり、通常の
油揚乾燥により得られた油揚麺（約17〜25％）に
比し格段に少ないものであり、さらに膨化度合が
高いため短時間の煮沸処理（約３分半）で充分に
復元し（水分含量68％）又、同煮沸処理の際も煮
汁の泡立ちによる鍋からの煮汁のふきこぼれも一
切生じなかつた。
加えてこれを喫食した際も、油くどさが感じら
れず、あつさりとした好ましい風味であつた。
実施例 ２
実施例１と全く同様な方法で生麺線を得ると共
に枠詰した後、これを温度200℃、流速8.5m／秒
の過熱水蒸気によつて35秒間処理して、水分含量
13.0％（表面水分含量8.7％、内部水分含量16.5
％）の乾燥麺（膨化度1.78〔註〕）を得た。
次に同乾燥麺を40％の相対湿度下に移送し、同
雰囲気下で、150℃の高温油を同乾燥麺の中央部
にのみ浸透するように８秒間滴下して麺内水分の
均一化を図つた。
次にこれを60℃の油中に２秒間浸漬して油含量
10.6％の本発明に係る油風味麺を得た。
同、油風味麺は、長期保存後に於いても、麺線
の折れやあるいは麺中央部の歪み等の形状変化が
一切見られず、原形を保持していた。
〔註〕
膨化度……過熱水蒸気処理後麺線断面積／生麺線断面
積
実施例 ３
小麦粉、α化澱粉及びシヨートニング、モノグ
リセライド、乾燥卵白以上を撹拌混合した後、加
水してさらに撹拌混合を続けドウを得る。
同ドウをロール型圧延機によりシート化した
後、適宜の形状に打ち抜き成型済食品素材（水分
含量38％）と為し、次にこれを温度250℃、流速
3.5m／秒の過熱水蒸気によつて180秒間処理し
て、水分含量4.7％の乾燥食品を得た。
然る後、これに温度50℃の油を３秒間満遍なく
噴霧して本発明に係る油風味スナツクを得た。
同油風味スナツクの油含量は、6.3％と通常の
油揚スナツクに比して格段に少ないにも拘らず、
あつさりとした好ましい油風味が満喫し得た。
The present invention relates to a novel method for drying foods using superheated steam, and more specifically, the present invention relates to a novel method for drying foods using superheated steam. The purpose is to obtain dried foods that do not break or break. Superheated steam drying has long been known as a drying method for efficiently obtaining dried foods with a high degree of puffiness. However, when food is rapidly dried at high temperature and in a short period of time with the intention of obtaining dried food with a higher degree of puffiness using this drying method, uneven drying tends to occur on the surface and inside of the food, and especially If the target food is in the form of agglomerates of stick-like pieces, such as noodle blocks,
Due to the uneven drying, the center of the food became distorted during storage, and the rod-shaped pieces near the center broke. In addition, dried noodles obtained by superheated steam drying are
When restoring the noodles, when boiled in a pot, etc., the broth bubbles more vigorously than with hot air-dried noodles or fried-tofu-dried noodles.
There was noticeable boiling over from the pot. The inventors of the present invention have conducted intensive research to solve the above-mentioned problems found in superheated steam-dried foods and maximize the effectiveness of the drying method.
It has been found that the above-mentioned problems can be completely solved by spraying, dropping or flowing oil onto a dry food obtained by superheated steam treatment, or by immersing the same in oil. In addition, according to this method, the oil content is much lower than that of fried foods obtained by the conventional deep-fried tofu method, and as a result, an unprecedented type of fried tofu food that does not feel greasy and has a mild flavor is produced. It was also discovered that an oil-flavored food could be obtained. The method of the present invention was completed based on the above findings. The method of the present invention will be explained in detail below. As the food to be dried that can be applied to the present invention, all food materials that have been conventionally subjected to drying treatment with the intention of obtaining dried products can be applied, and among them, stick-shaped pieces such as noodle blocks can be applied. The effects of the present invention will be even more remarkable when applied to foods that require boiling before eating, including those that have become agglomerated or lumps of noodles. In the present invention, such a food material is first dried using superheated steam. The superheated steam treatment conditions are not particularly limited, and may be carried out under conditions depending on the type, size, and shape of the food material, or the desired flavor and structure of the dried product. For example, if you want a snack food with a high swelling degree and a crispy, light texture, or dried noodles with good restorability, superheated steam at a relatively high temperature of 150 to 230°C is generally used. A rapid drying process is performed in a short period of about 10 to 30 seconds.On the other hand, if you want a dried product with a firmer texture, generally speaking,
A slow drying process is carried out for about 50 to 180 seconds using superheated steam at a relatively low temperature of 110 to 140°C. As mentioned above, the effects of the present invention can be sufficiently achieved when superheated steam drying is carried out under any of the conditions described above, and in particular, in the case of rapid drying which tends to cause uneven drying of dried products, it is more effective in drying foods evenly. It is valid. Next, in the present invention, a predetermined amount of oil is sprayed, dropped, or flowed onto the thus obtained dried food, or the food is immersed in oil for a predetermined period of time. The dried food dried using superheated steam has an extremely high degree of swelling and a uniform porous structure. Therefore, even with a small amount of oil spray, oil dripping, or oil flow, or even with an extremely short immersion treatment in oil, oil is quickly and evenly absorbed into the food, making it possible to impart a desirable oil flavor to the food. becomes. As a result, the oil content of the same food is typically 15-35%.
Compared to the previous method of deep-frying, which required oil absorption of approximately 100% by weight of the food, the amount of oil can be significantly reduced.As a result, it is possible to produce an unprecedented type of dried food that is not greasy and has a warm flavor. It will be done. On the other hand, dried foods obtained by drying methods other than superheated steam drying, such as oven or high-temperature hot air drying, have a low degree of swelling and have hardened surfaces. The oil is not evenly absorbed into the food and accumulates on the surface of the food, resulting in a shiny appearance and an unpleasant sticky aftertaste, which is undesirable. Furthermore, the dried food obtained by the present invention is
Since the oil content itself is low, flavor deterioration due to oil deterioration during storage is not a problem. There are no particular limitations on the specific amount of oil used during the oil treatment of the present invention, but when oil is sprayed, dripped, or flowed, it is 2 to 10% of the dry food.
(weight ratio) is enough to achieve the above-mentioned flavoring effect, and in the case of immersion treatment in oil, it is sufficient to immerse the whole dried food in oil. Moreover, in the present invention, depending on the desired food flavor,
It is also possible to flavor the oil used in advance or to use a so-called seasoning oil, and the type of oil used is not limited at all. Furthermore, in the present invention, there is no restriction on the temperature of the oil used, and there is no difference in effectiveness. It is preferable to use oil. In addition, when the same oil treatment is applied to dried foods such as dried noodles that require boiling and restoring operations before eating, it also has the effect of suppressing boiling over of boiling liquid during boiling. In other words, according to the research conducted by the present inventors, superheating and steam drying require less heat history for the food to be dried than other drying methods, and as a result, noodle components such as proteins are relatively free from thermal denaturation. Otherwise, it dissolves into the broth during boiling, which promotes foaming of the broth and causes it to boil over from the container used, such as a pot. However, in the oil-treated noodles of the present invention, since an oil film is formed on the surface of the noodles, the dissolution of solutes such as proteins that cause foaming is suppressed, and as a result, boiling over is prevented. The above facts have been revealed. Furthermore, the oil treatment according to the present invention is more effective when applied to agglomerated rod-shaped pieces such as noodle blocks. That is, when agglomerates of rod-shaped pieces such as noodle blocks are subjected to rapid superheated steam treatment, uneven drying tends to occur, and immediately after drying, the surface portion is almost completely dried, so that the structure is Although it has already hardened, the interior is less dry than the surface, ie has a higher moisture content and is still soft. If this is left as it is, slow evaporation of moisture will proceed from the inside accompanied by contraction of the same part, whereas the surface part, as mentioned above, has already hardened and is not flexible, so this will cause misalignment. This results in the center part of the noodle block becoming distorted and the noodle strings breaking due to the pulling force from inside. However, in the oil treatment in the present invention, high temperature oil is used, and the oil is mainly applied to areas where the degree of dryness is low, that is,
If oil is sprayed, dripped, or treated with oil so that it penetrates into the center of the food, evaporation of water from the center will be promoted, resulting in a uniform moisture distribution in each part of the food. This can effectively prevent distortion of the center portion of the noodle mass and breakage of the noodle strings during storage. Furthermore, if the above-mentioned oil treatment is carried out under a specific humidity, that is, at a humidity that does not cause water evaporation from the surface of the noodle mass but only from within the noodle mass, the water distribution within the noodle mass can be changed. Uniformization occurs more quickly, and the effect of preventing distortion and folding becomes even more remarkable. Furthermore, after the same oil treatment has been used to homogenize the water distribution in the noodle mass, if the entire food is then subjected to oil immersion, oil spraying, oil dripping, and oil flow treatment, the above-mentioned food can be obtained. It can also be used to add flavor. Incidentally, there is no problem in carrying out the oil treatment in the present invention using relatively high-temperature oil, which also serves as the final drying of the food. As described above, according to the method of the present invention, it is possible to obtain a dry food that is not greasy and has a mild flavor, which could not be obtained using the conventional deep-frying method. When applied, it can eliminate deformation of noodle blocks and folding of noodle strings during storage,
Furthermore, boiling over of boiling liquid during boiling and restoring can be suppressed. Example 1 After adding water to wheat flour, flour, etc. and rolling it in a conventional manner, it was cut with a cutting blade roll and cut at the same time to obtain one serving of raw noodle strings (moisture content 36.7%). After loosening it appropriately, it was packed into a rectangular form without too much density. Next, this was treated with superheated steam at a temperature of 170° C. and a flow rate of 8.5 m/sec for 53 seconds to obtain dried noodles with a water content of 10.3% (degree of swelling: 1.71 [Note]). Thereafter, oil at a temperature of 60° C. was evenly sprayed onto the noodles for 10 seconds to obtain oil-flavored noodles according to the present invention. The oil content of the same oil-flavored noodles is 8.3%, which is much lower than that of fried noodles (approximately 17-25%) obtained by normal fried tofu drying. It was sufficiently restored (moisture content 68%) by boiling (approximately 3 and a half minutes), and no boiling over of the broth due to bubbling occurred during the same boiling. In addition, when I ate this, it did not feel greasy and had a pleasant, hot flavor. Example 2 Fresh noodle strings were obtained in exactly the same manner as in Example 1 and packed into frames, and then treated with superheated steam at a temperature of 200°C and a flow rate of 8.5 m/sec for 35 seconds to determine the water content.
13.0% (surface moisture content 8.7%, internal moisture content 16.5
%) dried noodles (swelling degree 1.78 [note]) were obtained. Next, the dried noodles were transferred to a relative humidity of 40%, and in the same atmosphere, high-temperature oil at 150°C was dripped for 8 seconds so that it penetrated only into the center of the dried noodles to homogenize the moisture inside the noodles. I planned. Next, this was immersed in oil at 60℃ for 2 seconds to determine the oil content.
Oil-flavored noodles according to the present invention containing 10.6% were obtained. The same oil-flavored noodles maintained their original shape without any changes in shape, such as folding of the noodle strings or distortion of the center of the noodles, even after long-term storage. [Note] Degree of puffing... cross-sectional area of noodle strings after superheated steam treatment/cross-sectional area of raw noodle strings Example 3 After stirring and mixing wheat flour, pregelatinized starch, cornstarch, monoglyceride, and dried egg white or above, add water and further stir and mix. Continue to get the doe. The dough was made into a sheet using a roll mill, then punched into an appropriate shape to form a food material (moisture content 38%), which was then heated at a temperature of 250℃ and a flow rate of
A dry food with a moisture content of 4.7% was obtained by treatment with superheated steam at 3.5 m/s for 180 seconds. Thereafter, oil at a temperature of 50° C. was evenly sprayed onto the material for 3 seconds to obtain an oil-flavored snack according to the present invention. Although the oil content of the same oil-flavored snack is 6.3%, which is much lower than that of regular fried snack,
I was able to fully enjoy the warm and pleasant oily flavor.
【特許請求の範囲】[Claims]
１ 油面が乾燥室内に開放された油揚槽及び過熱
水蒸気を充満し得る機構を有した乾燥室と、同乾
燥室中を過熱水蒸気雰囲気下及び同油揚槽を介し
て貫通する被乾燥食品搬送体からなることを特徴
とする食品の乾燥装置。
1. A frying tank with an open oil surface inside the drying chamber, a drying chamber with a mechanism capable of filling the drying chamber with superheated steam, and a food transporter to be dried that passes through the drying chamber in an atmosphere of superheated steam and through the frying tank. A food drying device comprising: